Recipe Background
Chicago-Style Grilled Cheese is out of this world, the kind of sandwich that doesn't just impress but pays homage to the various culinary influences in the Windy City. The melty provolone cheese and buttery, golden bread slices envelop extra-tender, savory beef, spicy pepperoncini, and sour giardiniera. There's richness, succulence, tartness, and plenty of balance! Chicago-Style Grilled Cheese is a Chi-City marvel!
Chicago-Style Grilled Cheese is out of this world, the kind of sandwich that doesn't just impress but pays homage to the various culinary influences in the Windy City. The melty provolone cheese and buttery, golden bread slices envelop extra-tender, savory beef, spicy pepperoncini, and sour giardiniera. There's richness, succulence, tartness, and plenty of balance! Chicago-Style Grilled Cheese is a Chi-City marvel!
Ingredients
- 1 (3-pound) chuck roast trimmed of visible fat, cut into large chunks
- 1 (0.7-ounce) envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 beef bouillon cubes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more, to taste
- 1 (8-ounce) jar pepperoncini pepper slices juices reserved, plus more, to taste
- 2 cups water
- 1 (20-ounce) loaf artisan bread sliced
- provolone cheese to taste, sliced
- Chicago-style Italian sandwich giardiniera optional, to taste, store-bought or homemade
Directions
- In a 5 1/2-6-quart slow cooker, add the beef chunks.
- Add the Italian salad dressing mix and the Italian seasoning to the beef.
- Add the onions, the bouillon cubes, 2 tablespoons of the butter, and 1 jar of the pepperoncini slices to the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add the water to the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook until the beef chunks are cooked through to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F and shreds easily with a fork, about 8 hours.
- Transfer the beef chunks to a cutting board.
- Shred the beef chunks.
- Add the beef chunks back to the slow cooker and cover the slow cooker.
- Cook the beef mixture on low until the flavors infuse fully, about 1 hour.
- Preheat a pan over medium heat.
- Using the extra butter, butter 1 side of each slice of the bread.
- Place 1 slice of the buttered bread, buttered-side down, in the hot pan.
- Immediately top the bread slice evenly with the provolone, the beef mixture, the extra pepperoncini slices, and the giardiniera. Make sure you drain each individual portion of the beef mixture before adding it on top of the bread slices.
- Add 1 slice of the provolone on top of the giardiniera layer, then close the sandwich with 1 slice of the bread, buttered-side up.
- Grill, flipping the sandwich once, until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden-brown on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side.
- Transfer the sandwich to a plate and repeat the sandwich making and grilling process with the remaining ingredients.
- Serve the sandwiches with the remaining beef cooking liquid for dipping.
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